It's not so much that as it has been a bulwark against slave-labor conditions that have existed here in the US.

It's a case where academic willingness exists, but in reality, it is a forced choice by practicality.

It's also a case for why we should act against Third World countries like China, Hong Kong SAR, Vietnam, Burma, Thailand, and India as well as regions like Latin America. That is, heavily discourage dealing with those countries until US citizens are not threatened with 'do it or we'll ship your job overseas'.

The minimum wage is partly a societal stabilizer to minimize riots etc. Recall that in the 1900 time frame we had home grown anarchists and terrorists. A minimum wage may be viewed as a form of bread and circuses to keep the publicans calm

Consider the alternatives to Roosevelt, Huey Long or Father Conglin who where far left of him. If people get to the point where they feel they have nothing to loose, then they are free to revolt. The goal of the minimum wage is to give everyone some feeling of a stake in the current system. Keeping domestic tranquility is the number 1 job of government, so that leads to a minimum wage as a part of the deal